Chapter 5

I didn't reply.

I put the phone away and kept eating.

But it didn't taste the same anymore.

Qin Wu watched me without asking anything else.

He simply poured a glass of warm water and quietly set it beside my hand.

I picked it up and took a sip.

Warm.

Not iced.

He knew I couldn't have anything cold after spicy food.

I put the glass down and went on eating.

Three tomorrow afternoon.

West Bank Café.

I wanted to see exactly who this person was.

8

As we left the restaurant, my stomach began to ache.

I shouldn't have eaten so much spicy food.

But I would never admit that in front of Qin Wu.

He drove me home without a word.

When we reached my building, I opened the door to get out. He called my name.

"Jiang Si."

"What?"

He lowered his window. The streetlight cast a warm glow over his profile.

"Where are you going at three tomorrow?"

How did he know about three tomorrow?

"None of your business."

I shut the car door and walked into the complex without looking back.

Behind me, the engine started. It was a long time before he drove away.

At home, I collapsed onto the sofa.

I took out my phone and reread the message.

"Three tomorrow afternoon. West Bank Café."

I stared at the screen for ten seconds, then tossed the phone aside.

Whoever they were.

Sleep first.

Tomorrow could wait until tomorrow.

I slept until noon.

Sunlight slipped through the curtains, painfully bright.

I rolled over and buried my face in the pillow, unwilling to move.

My phone vibrated on the bedside table.

I groped for it and squinted at the screen.

Qin Wu: 【Up yet?】

I didn't reply.

Another vibration.

Qin Wu: 【I ordered food for you. It's outside your door. Remember to eat.】

I listened. There really was a sound outside.

I still didn't want to get up.

The phone vibrated again.

Qin Wu: 【Or don't eat. Just don't come to me when your stomach hurts.】

I stared at the message, suddenly furious.

Who did he think he was? Did controlling everything else in the universe leave him so much spare time that he had to police my breakfast, too?

No. Lunch.

I sprang out of bed, padded barefoot to the door and yanked it open.

An insulated bag sat on the floor.

I picked it up and looked inside.

Plain congee, steamed buns and a little dish of vinegar.

Everything was still warm.

Perfectly timed.

I stood in the doorway holding the bag, silent for about five seconds.

Then I carried it in and put it on the dining table.

I didn't eat it.

But I didn't throw it away, either.

At some point, the comments had begun drifting past again.

【SHE DIDN'T THROW IT AWAY!!!】

【Is that important???】

【Very! The old Jiang Si would've tossed it straight in the bin if she didn't want it.】

【So she's used to Qin Wu taking care of her. She just won't admit it.】

【She hasn't denied it, either. She just takes it for granted. Isn't Qin Wu ordering her food the natural order of things?】

【Help. This woman is shameless.】

I sat at the table, looking at the buns.

Still didn't pick up my chopsticks.

I wanted to eat, but my stomach was unsettled.

Last night's hot pot had quite a long finish.

I poured myself some warm water, drank it slowly, then went to shower.

Afterward, as I stood in front of the mirror drying my hair, I remembered my appointment at three.

West Bank Café.

I put down the hairdryer and went to my wardrobe.

What to wear?

I looked through yesterday's purchases and chose a black camisole, high-waisted wide-leg pants and an oversized denim jacket.

Shoes.

I glanced at the silver flats, passed over them and picked my chunky black combat boots.

They went very well with my hair.

Don't ask why black went with green.

It did because I said so.

For makeup, I extended my eyeliner a little farther, chose thicker false lashes and switched to a true red lipstick.

Yesterday's dark-green cat-eye nails glittered in the light.

I studied my reflection.

Good.

One look and you knew not to mess with me.

【She's dressing like THAT for coffee??? Anyone would think she's going to a fight.】

【Knowing the original, she might be.】

【If that person tries to trick her, she'll actually hit them, won't she?】

【Qin Wu, come get your sister!!!】

I picked up my bag and left.

9

I reached West Bank Café at five to three.

It stood in a quiet alley, with two osmanthus trees by the entrance. A soft sweetness lingered in the air.

I pushed the door open. The wind chime rang.

There weren't many customers.

A woman sitting by the window looked up.

She was utterly ordinary.

Ordinary face. Ordinary hair. Ordinary clothes.

The sort of person nobody would notice in a crowd.

But she looked at me as though I were an old friend she hadn't seen in years.

"Jiang Si?" She stood, smiling. "Hello. I'm Shen Lu."

I sat opposite her and dispensed with the pleasantries.

"How do you know about the mission agent?"

Apparently she hadn't expected such a direct question. She blinked, then laughed.

"Exactly as the mission file described."

"What mission file?"

"The system records the entire process in every world an agent visits." She paused. "Including yours."

I narrowed my eyes.

"Are you an agent, too?"

"No." She shook her head. "I'm a system maintenance worker. Put simply, I check for bugs in a world after its agent leaves."

The comments erupted.

【System maintenance worker??? Since when is that a thing??? I don't remember this.】

【So she's here to check whether there's something wrong with the original?】

【Why go to her? The original isn't a bug.】

Shen Lu gave a little smile, as though she could see the comments.

"I came to you because there's been a problem."

"What problem?"

"The previous agent occupied your body for six months. Under system regulations, your memories should have been reset after she left. You shouldn't remember what happened during those six months, or that she existed."

She looked at me, her expression growing serious.

"But you remember everything."

Yes.

I remembered.

I remembered what the agent ate each day, what she did, who she met.

I remembered the way she smiled at Qin Wu. The way she cooked for him. The way she played the good girl in front of him.

Using my body to do it.

So fucking stupid.

I remembered all of it!

"That's the bug," Shen Lu said. "Your memories weren't erased. That means the agent's presence has had an irreversible effect on you."

"What effect?"

"You must have noticed it yourself." She sipped her coffee. "You've changed."

I said nothing.

The comments fell silent for a moment.

【Changed how? She seems the same to me. Fierce, unreasonable, convinced she's right.】

【No, she's different. Jiang Si never used to care what the agent did. But just now, when she said she remembered... something was off about her expression.】