Chapter 7

Before the police arrived, the park security got there first.
The community had organized a festival today and had reinforced security in the area. They arrived almost immediately to control the man on the ground.
To avoid onlookers, they first took him to the security office. Shen Youwei and Guan Shanyan, as the involved parties, followed along.
The security captain, a seasoned veteran claiming to have seen it all, was still shocked by the scene.
Shen Youwei, who had almost been stabbed, was calmly sitting in the security office eating sugar-fried buns, a true demonstration of a social media influencer’s composure.
Guan Shanyan sat nearby, staring coldly at the man. Despite his angelic looks, he resembled a living enforcer.
The man on the ground, once boasting about killing Shen Youwei, now cowered in the corner like a frightened quail.
A perfect tableau.
“Did you call the police?” several officers entered. Regular patrols near the park allowed them to respond incredibly quickly.
The security captain immediately stood. “Yes, yes! This man was about to attack someone in the park with a knife!”
The police glanced at the man, who shrank back further.
“Where’s the knife?”
“Right here, we brought it with him.”
“Any casualties?”
“No, luckily this gentleman stopped him in time, or the consequences would have been severe!”
The officers’ gaze landed on Guan Shanyan and Shen Youwei. Shen Youwei silently finished the last bite of her sugar-fried bun and sat upright.
“Now, you’ll need to come to the station for detailed statements.”
The police handcuffed the man and Shen Youwei raised her hand to report. “Officer, this is the same person from the Mocha Complex case. I saw him back then. Today he came to take revenge on me!”
The Mocha Complex idol stabbing case had trended nationwide for a whole day. Hearing this, the police immediately contacted the officer in charge of that case. If confirmed to be the same person, the cases would be merged.
At the station, everyone was separated for questioning.
The officer who had Shen Youwei identify people last time arrived, asking, “Tell us what happened.”
Shen Youwei explained, “I was taking photos when I sensed someone watching me. When I looked back, he charged at me like a madman. Luckily, my brother arrived just in time and kicked him down, and the knife dropped.”
“Your brother is Guan Shanyan?”
“Yes.”
“Are you siblings?”
“No, we’re neighbors. We’ve been close since childhood, so I consider his mother my godmother.”
The police nodded, then asked, “We heard you identified today’s attacker as the same person involved in the Mocha Complex case?”
“That’s right. I looked closely, he has a pierced right ear, and earlier in the security office, he was shouting that even if I didn’t let him live, he’d make me die.”
The two officers exchanged a glance, then said, “After you identified someone at the station last time, we reviewed all the surveillance again. We confirmed the perpetrator was actually someone else. It turns out the two are brothers, and we’ve been tracking him these past couple of days. He confessed, he saw you enter the station and followed you to your new residence.”
Shen Youwei: “…”
“He realized we were investigating him and guessed you might have provided a clue, so he sought revenge. But don’t worry, the evidence is solid, he won’t get away.”
“That’s a relief.” Shen Youwei relaxed slightly. “They won’t just lock him up for two days and let him go, right?”
“No,” the officer said. “The Mocha Complex case was serious and had widespread impact. Today he entered the park with a knife intending to harm someone, seriously endangering public safety. He will face severe punishment.”
Meanwhile, Guan Shanyan was also being questioned.
“How did you notice he had a knife?”
Guan Shanyan replied, “I wasn’t certain he had one. I just saw him hiding his hands in his clothes and suspected he might be holding something, so I restrained his hand first.”
The officers studied him. He looked tall and well-built, clearly not a trained fighter, yet he disarmed a suspect single-handedly with precise, decisive movements.
The kick to the suspect’s chest rendered him immobile.
All of this happened in a matter of seconds, an experienced police officer might not even manage such precision and efficiency in that short time.
“This morning, when we left, I felt someone watching us. I suspected he had been following us since we went out.” Guan Shanyan volunteered.
The officer said, “According to the suspect’s confession, he indeed followed you from the morning. Seeing Shen Youwei alone, he seized the opportunity to strike.”
Guan Shanyan furrowed his brows, remaining silent.
“He won’t get away now, so there’s no need to be so tense.”
On the way home, Shen Youwei and Guan Shanyan were quieter than when they left.
Shen Youwei had lied to the police. She said she had looked back because she had already been stabbed once. But no one would believe such a story, and even she hadn’t fully understood it herself.
At ten years old, she remembered falling twice from Qingjing Mountain. At that age, she thought the sensations were just her mind playing tricks out of fear.
So what about today? Why had it happened again?
Could she be some “chosen girl,” able to rewind time when faced with fatal danger?
Guan Shanyan had also lied to the police. He knew the man had a knife because he saw the dagger strike Shen Youwei’s abdomen.
When he was twelve, he had seen Shen Youwei fall off a cliff and couldn’t intervene. He had regretted it endlessly, wishing for a do-over, this time, he would not let go of Shen Youwei.
And somehow, he really got a second chance.
He didn’t know how it happened, but when he regained awareness, he was back before Shen Youwei had fallen, and this time, he firmly grabbed her hand.
Today’s situation mirrored that moment. He hoped to return to before Shen Youwei was stabbed, and he truly did.
Over the past fifteen years, he had tried to go back many times. For instance, when Shen Youwei confessed to him and then blocked all contact, their relationship plummeted. He had wanted to rewind to avoid the confession and preserve their status quo.
But he had never succeeded.
Today, however, it proceeded unusually smoothly. He guessed that this “rewind” must follow some specific mechanism, he just hadn’t discovered it yet.
When they got home, Xie Mingqiu anxiously asked, “What happened? You didn’t explain it properly on the phone.”
Shen Youwei, changing her shoes, explained, “It’s the Mocha Complex case. I saw the attacker and gave the police clues, so he held a grudge against me.”
“Why didn’t you say so before?” Xie Mingqiu fretted. “Are you two hurt?”
“No, don’t worry, godmother,” Shen Youwei said, smiling. “He’s been caught, and the police said he’ll be severely punished.”
“He absolutely should be!” Xie Mingqiu scolded the man, then ushered them to the dining table. “It’s almost two. You haven’t had lunch yet, eat something to calm down.”
Because they were worried, Xie Mingqiu and Guan Su had barely eaten. Guan Su reheated the food and joined them. “You two should rest at home this afternoon. Don’t go out unless necessary.”
Guan Shanyan and Shen Youwei obediently stayed home. That night, Shen Youwei couldn’t sleep and went to the kitchen for a cup of milk.
In the living room, she vaguely saw someone lying on the sofa.
She startled, but before screaming, she recognized him: Guan Shanyan. “Hey, why aren’t you asleep at this hour? What are you doing lying here?”
He was in pajamas, hands folded neatly. Hearing her, he opened his eyes briefly and closed them again. “A slight fever. Came out to get some medicine.”
“Ah?” Shen Youwei stepped closer. “You suddenly have a fever?”
Guan Shanyan said nothing. The source of all this traced back to the meteor shower fifteen years ago.
It was spring. Their families had gone to Qingjing Mountain for flower-viewing. They stayed at the Hot Springs Resort that night.
Shen Youwei wanted to explore the resort. Guan Shanyan had originally refused but followed her to keep her safe.
They didn’t find treasure, but they witnessed a meteor shower. Afterwards, they saw a glowing blue stone in the garden.
It was so beautiful, he couldn’t resist picking it up. But when he touched it, it disappeared.
After that night, Guan Shanyan gradually noticed his body changing.
He could control small objects with his mind, and his speed and strength exceeded normal limits.
But using these powers overloaded his body, causing fevers. Over the years, as he rarely used them and grew older, his body adapted, and fevers became less frequent.
Tonight, probably due to the strain of using his “rewind” ability, he developed a fever, but much milder than when he saved Shen Youwei on Qingjing Mountain.
“Really have a fever, huh?” Shen Youwei felt his forehead. It was hot. “Do you want to go to the hospital?”
“No. I’ll rest for a bit. Don’t wake my parents.”
“Alright.” Shen Youwei glanced at him and returned to her room.
The living room went quiet. After a while, Guan Shanyan felt his body lighter. He opened his eyes and saw a glass on the coffee table. The glass flew into his hand by itself.
He drank the water, then returned the glass to the table.
Shen Youwei opened her door again. Hearing her, Guan Shanyan lay back on the sofa.
“Don’t freeze here.” Shen Youwei brought a blanket and covered him. She refilled his water cup and asked, “Do you want some water?”
“Yes” Guan Shanyan weakly nodded.
Shen Youwei helped him sit up and gave him a sip. “If you feel better, go back to your room and sleep.”
“Mm.”
After placing the cup back on the table, Shen Youwei looked at him again. “Extend your hand.”
“For what?” Guan Shanyan asked but complied.
Shen Youwei opened her palm, placing a candy in it. “This is for you. Thank you for saving me today.”