It started when a bloody rain was about to fall.

"Feeding? Lin Ye? So early?"

Chen Tianming's voice was heavy with sleepiness, as if he had just surfaced from deep water. In the background, the faint cry of a baby could be heard—his son, who had just turned one year old.

When Chen Tianming first became a father last year, he posted a photo on his WeChat Moments: holding a wrinkled baby, he was smiling like a fool.

"Tianming, it's urgent."

Lin Ye's voice was unusually solemn.

It's a weight that can only be accumulated through countless cycles of life and death—

It wasn't a threat, nor a command, but the natural, unquestionable authority of someone who had died once speaking to someone still alive.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

Chen Tianming's sleepiness also subsided significantly.

A soft rustling sound of clothes broke the silence; he must have sat up. The baby's cries grew faint and distant—he left the bedroom and closed the door behind him.

"Go ahead," Chen Tianming said.

"How much do you know about the financial fraud at Tianrui Technology?" Lin Ye asked.

Upon hearing Lin Ye's explanation, Chen Tianming couldn't help but gasp.

The inhalation was sharp and clear, like a fingernail scraping against glass. This was followed by a brief silence, as if even a heartbeat had stopped.

Then he lowered his voice to a whisper, his voice trembling with panic: "You...how did you know? Only a few core executives knew about this...I happened to see some suspicious reports last month, and my supervisor warned me not to say anything..."

"I know far more than you think," Lin Ye said calmly, his tone carrying an undeniable force. "On the 20th, next Monday, the news will break, and Tianrui Technology's stock price will crash. But that's not the worst of it—"

Lin Ye paused.

On the other end of the phone, Chen Tianming's breathing also became erratic.

"Is there an S-level laboratory in the basement of the company headquarters building that requires triple biometric access and isn't even marked on the fire safety drawings?" Lin Ye asked.

The sound of something being knocked over came through the receiver. Then came rapid breathing, mixed with Chen Tianming's low, incredulous murmur: "How did you know about this... Lin Ye, what exactly..."

His voice began to tremble. At the same time, his wife's soft voice came from the background—"Who is it? So early?"—which he quickly brushed off: "Nothing, just a classmate, you go back to sleep."

Then came the sound of footsteps, the sound of a door opening, and the sound of a door closing. Chen Tianming walked onto the balcony.

The wind picked up, mingling with the distant noise of the morning rush hour.

"That's top company secret. I only know the general location... Lin Ye, what exactly are you investigating? This will get us into big trouble!" Chen Tianming's voice was almost pleading. "Those people have unfathomable backgrounds; we can't afford to mess with them! Listen to me, whatever you know, forget about it immediately—"

"Listen, dawn."

Lin Ye spoke slowly and deliberately. Each syllable was like a heavy hammer blow, striking the air on the other end of the phone.

"What's preserved in that lab will become the key to saving lives in the near future. This isn't an exaggeration, it's not a metaphor—it literally means it will save your life and the lives of your family."

Then Lin Ye slowed his speech: "I need the exact location of the entrance, the method of obtaining access, and the internal security layout. In exchange, I will give you three million in cash in half a month. That's enough for you to take your family and leave this city of Beijing, find a remote and safe place, and hide for half a year."

A long silence fell on the other end of the phone.

Only the wind—the wind from the balcony—blown through the receiver, bringing a faint whistling sound.

"Lin Ye, are you crazy?" Chen Tianming's voice was hoarse and weary, carrying a desperate rationality. "Aren't there just some ordinary biological samples in the lab? And three million? Where did you get so much money? Are you involved in something—"

"No."

Lin Ye interrupted him. That "no" was resolute, like a knife.

"It is the original sample of antiviral serum."

At the same time, Lin Ye took a deep breath, letting his next words carry the full weight of his experience, which had come from the brink of death:

"Six months from now, the whole world will be turned upside down. Believe me, just this once. Not for me, but for your one-year-old son and your frail wife. Think about it—"

Lin Ye paused for a moment.

"If you had the ability to protect them in advance, what would you do?"

A long silence.

A silence longer than before.

All that came through the receiver was Chen Tianming's heavy, disordered breathing, mixed with the blurry noise of the city in the distance. Lin Ye could imagine his struggle at that moment:

The risk of losing his job and even facing imprisonment; the almost insane remarks of his old classmate; the temptation of three million—an astronomical figure that an ordinary financial assistant could only save up in twenty years without eating or drinking; and the words that struck at Chen Tianming's weak spot: "For your son and wife."

But Lin Ye knew that none of these were the decisive factors.

What truly won Chen Tianming's approval was the undying kindness in his bones.

Just three months after the blood rain in his previous life, he risked his life to deliver a batch of medicine to an orphanage in the suburbs, but he himself was in danger and was attacked by a large swarm of mutated rats, leaving no trace of his body.

That kindness still remains, though its edges have been worn smooth by the burdens of life.

"I need time to think about it."

Chen Tianming finally spoke. His voice was hoarse and dry, like sandpaper rubbing against wood, each word seeming to be squeezed out with difficulty from the depths of his throat:

"I'll give you an answer by the 20th in three days. But Lin Ye, if this is just a malicious joke, or you've gotten yourself into danger... for the sake of our four years of university friendship, I advise you to back off."

"After the market opens on the 20th, you will see Tianrui Technology's stock price collapse."

Lin Ye finished speaking calmly and hung up the phone.

There were no further explanations, no further pleas, no empty platitudes like "You must believe me."

Lin Ye had said what he needed to say. The rest, he left to time and reality to prove.