Chapter 226: New Era

"Hand over the money, or I'll let you taste my fists."

The lead thug shook the club in his hand, gesturing toward the bespectacled boy.

The boy shrank his neck and retreated, his voice trembling: "I-I really don't have any money..."

Lin Yu slung his schoolbag over his shoulder and sauntered to the entrance of the alley with his hands in his pockets.

If this were before, he would have greased his heels and slipped away long ago—who would bother with this nosy business? But now...

"I say, a few grown men bullying a student—aren't you ashamed?" Lin Yu spoke up.

The few thugs turned their heads, scanning Lin Yu up and down with unkind eyes.

The leader spat on the ground: "Where did this brat come from? Stop being an eyesore here—get lost!"

Lin Yu thought to himself, when I was roaming the Void, you lot didn't even know where to play in the mud.

"I'm sticking my nose into this business today—what are you going to do about it?"

The lead thug didn't say a word, swinging his club down.

Lin Yu sidestepped, the club grazing his clothes. He grabbed the club and yanked, sending the thug face-planting into the dirt, and Lin Yu followed up with a kick to the chest.

Seeing this, the remaining thugs turned and ran, faster than rabbits.

"Are you okay?" Lin Yu pulled the bespectacled boy up from the ground.

"Th-thank you..." The boy adjusted his glasses, his knee scraped raw. "Um... are you from our school? You look familiar."

"Lin Yu, Class 3, Grade 11."

"Xu Xiaochuan, Class 8, Grade 11." The boy pushed up his glasses. "You're pretty tough; those guys aren't easy to mess with."

Lin Yu asked casually: "By the way, your family is..."

"My dad is Xu Jianhua; he used to be an engineer, and now he works at a tech company."

Lin Yu felt a "buzz" in his head. Xu Jianhua is still alive? On this timeline, he didn't go to his death, and even got married and had children?

Seeing Lin Yu suddenly stop talking with a strange expression, Xu Xiaochuan asked: "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing, just helping you check if you got dirty." Lin Yu regained his composure, pretending to pat off Xu Xiaochuan's clothes.

"How about... coming to my place for a bit? My parents are both working overtime; I'll treat you to instant noodles as... a thank you." Xu Xiaochuan invited him.

Lin Yu was hoping for exactly this, so he nodded. He had to see what the Xu family on this timeline was really like.

The Xu family lived in the old district; the house wasn't big—two bedrooms and a living room—but it was kept quite clean, with a few tech magazines on the coffee table.

"You sit; I'll go boil some water." Xu Xiaochuan put down his bag and ducked into the kitchen.

Lin Yu wandered around the living room. In the family portrait on the wall, Xu Jianhua stood in the middle, smiling so kindly—where was there any trace of the gloominess in Lin Yu's memory?

On a low cabinet by the window sat a few photo frames, and Lin Yu picked one up at random.

In the photo, a young Xu Jianhua and a man had their arms around each other's shoulders, posing in front of a scenic spot.

This man...

Lin Yu nearly dropped the frame.

Yan Nanshan!

Although the person in the photo was much younger, Lin Yu would recognize that face even if it were burned to ash!

What made Lin Yu's heart jump even more was that next to the frame sat a small silver bell, identical to the one Xuanyuan Qing had.

"Are you interested in this photo?" Xu Xiaochuan came out with two bowls of steaming instant noodles.

Lin Yu put down the frame and asked nonchalantly: "Who is this? He seems to have a good relationship with your dad."

"Oh, that's a friend my dad met in college, named Yan Nanshan." Xu Xiaochuan placed the noodles on the coffee table. "My dad says he's quite mysterious; he never shows his face, just sends a letter every year."

Lin Yu slurped a mouthful of noodles and pointed at the silver bell: "What about this?"

"A gift from Yan Shu, he said it's an antique and worth a fortune." Xu Xiaochuan picked up the silver bell and shook it gently; the "ding-a-ling" sound was quite pleasant. "My dad says Yan Shu is coming to see us soon; he's really happy about it."

Lin Yu felt his heart jumping out of his throat—so on this timeline, Yan Nanshan was not only alive but also connected to this silver bell?

"By the way, do you like antiques?"

"Xuan Qingzi..."

Lin Yu murmured the name, his fingers unconsciously stroking the thin letter paper. The handwriting on the letter was delicate yet carried an indescribable chill, like the surface of a frozen lake in winter.

He took a deep breath; the air was filled with a faint scent of ink—the unique smell of old-fashioned letters.

"The old place... where exactly is it?" Lin Yu frowned, flipping the letter paper over and over, but found no clues other than those few words.

Outside the window, the city's hustle and bustle gradually faded, and the night curtain slowly descended like a massive black cloth.

Lin Yu stood up and walked to the window. High-rises stood in great numbers, lights flickered, and traffic flowed incessantly; everything seemed so real, yet so illusory.

He always felt that beneath this calm appearance, something was hidden.

The next day, Lin Yu got up early. He decided to go to school first to try his luck with Xuanyuan Qing.

In the cafeteria, it was bustling with noise.

Lin Yu carried his tray, scanning the crowd, and finally landed on the table by the window.

Xuanyuan Qing was chatting and laughing with several girls, the sunlight spilling onto her, outlining her soft silhouette.

Lin Yu took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound calm and natural: "Is anyone sitting here?"

Xuanyuan Qing looked up, a flash of confusion crossing her face, then she politely shook her head.

Lin Yu sat down opposite her, his heart pounding wildly. He lowered his head to shovel rice into his mouth, but his peripheral vision remained fixed on Xuanyuan Qing's reactions.

"Are you looking forward to next week's astronomy class?" one girl asked.

"Of course, I love looking at the stars the most." Xuanyuan Qing's voice was crisp and pleasant, like a spring flowing through the mountains.

"By the way, have you ever heard of a... silver bell?" Lin Yu suddenly interjected, his voice trembling slightly.

Before the words were out, the chopsticks in Xuanyuan Qing's hand "clattered" onto the floor. She seemed frozen, and the smile on her face stiffened.

"What's wrong? Qingqing?" the girl next to her asked with concern.

"Nothing, my hand slipped." Xuanyuan Qing regained her senses and bent down to pick up the chopsticks, but her fingers were trembling slightly.

After school, Lin Yu followed Xuanyuan Qing the whole way. She didn't go home but boarded a bus, bumping along all the way to the outskirts of the city.

As the sun set, the horizon was dyed a blood-red. Xuanyuan Qing walked into an abandoned observatory; weeds grew all around, and the walls were mottled and peeling, exuding an air of desolation.

Lin Yu hid behind an old locust tree, watching the movements inside nervously through a broken window.

Xuanyuan Qing took a small silver bell out of her pocket; in the dim light, the bell shimmered with a faint glow.

Lin Yu's heart shrank violently—he couldn't be more familiar with this silver bell. ===== CHAPTER 227 =====