The cycle begins to repeat itself today.

The geography teacher was explaining the test questions. A few students were listening, but most were doing their own thing—some were secretly reading novels, some were playing games, and some, like Ye Yuqing, were chatting on their phones. I was a little curious about who she was talking to, but from my perspective, investigating this was impossible unless something truly extraordinary happened.

Whether today passes or repeats itself, returning to a normal life is no longer my primary goal—if I don't understand what happened, if I don't understand what happened to Ye Yuqing that made her like this, able to chat normally during the day but committing murder or suicide at night, I've made figuring these things my priority in this endless cycle. I don't know how this cycle resets, or when it will end, so I need to find something to do. And the girl who stabbed me to this point is undoubtedly one of my clearest options right now.

I previously thought I knew enough about Ye Yuqing and gave up on pursuing information about her, which led me to witness her fall to her death from the rooftop on the third night. My resistance to death and my anger at being trapped in an endless cycle of reincarnation prompted me to continue searching for information about her, ultimately resulting in her stabbing me on the fourth night, leading to this day. Strictly speaking, I know almost nothing about Ye Yuqing except her name, gender, and similar academic performance to mine. I need more information to accurately assess her; without information, I can't do anything.

Understanding Ye Yuqing's situation became my top priority, while figuring out how to escape this predicament wasn't my second priority. I noticed something—whether it was a coincidence or a slight connection—that I woke up around 8:55 PM, during a break from reviewing the test papers during evening self-study. Unless I'm extremely tired, I don't like to take a nap in such a short time, because being woken up when I'm soundly asleep only exacerbates my mental fatigue, which is undoubtedly very inefficient. In the previous "today," I probably hadn't slept around 8:55 PM, yet I still woke up at this time, in this place. It felt as if the beginning and end of a period of time had been slightly moved forward.

I usually go to bed around midnight every night. If we consider midnight as the start and end point of this cycle, then my current situation means that this cycle has started about three hours earlier. But why is this happening? What unexpected event has occurred?

Yes, and it's quite obvious—the stab Ye Yuqing gave me in the lecture hall transported me back to an even earlier point in the past. Because of Ye Yuqing's stab, my time was paused at that moment, even having its power source removed, making it impossible for it to continue. But I'm back to a full day, twenty-four hours ago? Although I don't know the exact precision of the time, I'm very inclined to believe it's exactly twenty-four hours.

Because before I died, I left the classroom ten minutes before nine o'clock. Ye Yuqing's appearance made me slightly change my route, but I ultimately decided to risk going into the lecture hall and being stabbed in the heart from behind by her. Death, it should have been death. No one can survive being stabbed in the heart by such a long blade. This isn't a movie, nor a myth. The human heart is as fragile as glass. It's a highly precise instrument that must be protected; even the slightest error can cause enormous problems. My heart, like most people's, is mostly on the left side. That knife definitely pierced through my heart. Under normal circumstances, I should be completely dead, unable to move at all. But now I'm standing here, given a second chance.

When I woke up, given this second chance, it was between 8:50 and 9:00 AM—a crucial point that shouldn't be overlooked. Perhaps a more precise figure could be obtained with further verification. However, I fear death, and my awe of it hasn't diminished despite my past experience. I find I'm not ready for that endless peace. I can't bring myself to cut myself again, to return to this time sometime earlier, or even just now, or simply end my life and disappear from this world. The price is too high for me; I cannot accept it.

Moreover, since it's uncertain whether this will repeat itself, I should start gathering information about Ye Yuqing immediately. Ideally, I should learn everything about her before she jumps off the building or before she kills me with a knife, so as to resolve this matter completely.

Furthermore, since I returned to the present because of Ye Yuqing's stab, does this mean I can return to an earlier time? If I could, what would be the conditions for returning? Is it death? Or was my arrival in the present just an accident, caused by something I did intentionally or unintentionally, or by someone else intentionally or unintentionally, that altered my circumstances? I don't know, and I don't want to speculate too much.

Without supporting evidence, even the grandest and most reasonable associations are nothing but baseless fantasies, serving no purpose other than offering a slight degree of reference value. What I need to do is find clues, far more clues than I currently possess, and then find the traces within these clues, uncover the truth about what happened to Ye Yuqing, find out why I became this way, and then—leap out of this ever-recurring cycle of time as a victor.

I will absolutely, absolutely not let go of the recurring past, which I will copy and paste into my future. Whether it's a person, an animal, a machine, a natural phenomenon, or some supernatural force, I...

They absolutely must pay the price.

Chapter Twenty-One: The Path Upward

Although time is still quite tight, I'm not rushing things to ensure the evidence I find is sufficiently plausible. Only a clear and organized mind can find the starting point amidst the chaos.

Ye Yuqing was looking down at her phone, hiding it behind a pile of books in front of her to avoid being seen by the teacher. While this action was largely ineffective—whether a teacher notices a student using their phone usually doesn't depend on the student's ability to hide it, but rather on the teacher's willingness to intervene—they understand the principle of survival of the fittest better than anyone and incorporate it into their teaching. High-achieving students are placed at the front because they genuinely want to learn and are capable of engaging in the learning process. As for students from the beginning of a line onward, some teachers are unwilling to intervene because they know it's pointless. Even if their phones, novels, and comics are confiscated, if they have no interest in the lesson, they'd rather sleep than listen to the lecture. So what's the point of managing them?

There have been countless well-intentioned exhortations since the first year of high school, but few have listened. As long as they don't interfere with students who want to learn, the teachers generally turn a blind eye, since they can't sacrifice a group of more outstanding students for the sake of a group of students.

As it happens, our geography teacher is a rather proud person, and he does indeed have excellent teaching results. He's quite strict in class and likes to walk around while explaining. He's almost coming over from the other side.

I "kindly" reminded her, "The teacher is coming."

Ye Yuqing was startled when she heard what I said. She quickly looked up at where the geography teacher had been standing and found him not far away. She immediately covered her phone with her phone on the table, slightly moved her test paper to cover it, and pretended to be listening attentively. This is probably a skill most students possess, but compared to the others I saw, Ye Yuqing's reaction was far too flustered. Fortunately, the geography teacher didn't notice her and slowly continued circling in his intended direction.

After seeing the teacher leave, Ye Yuqing visibly breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at herself and whispered a thank you.

I could have ended the conversation quickly, but I had my own purpose, so why would I waste time on something like that? I went straight to the point and asked.

"You seem so engrossed in your conversation. Who are you talking to?" I guessed it was the person Ye Yuqing was planning to meet. Although she stabbed me in the back, my initial impression of her hasn't changed much. Regarding her lying about some things, I still hold my original opinion.

"Hmm? Do you want to know?" She showed a hint of curiosity: "I didn't expect you to be curious about these things, even though I don't usually pay much attention to you."

"I'm just a little curious. If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine."

"No, he's just a good friend."

I nodded, accepting her answer. Whether I agreed with her or not, all I could do was nod. And her good friend's statement did indeed lean towards my idea that she and the person she made the agreement with knew each other. My intuition led me to this possibility, but reason told me that thinking this way was foolish, because everything was based solely on Ye Yuqing's empty words, without any evidence.

There wasn't a good starting point between Ye Yuqing and me, so I set my sights on something else—the lecture hall that Ye Yuqing had killed before I even had a chance to examine it. Actually, I could have come back after most of the school had left. For various reasons, this building wasn't locked at night. Apparently, it's not far from the student dormitories, and students who want to study arrive early and leave late, so maintaining the locks would be too much trouble. Eventually, they just stopped bothering to lock the doors altogether. Besides, there wasn't anything particularly valuable left in the classrooms anyway. Moreover, although it looked a bit dilapidated, the building still had security cameras.

I stood up from my seat, asked Ye Yuqing for permission to go outside, and walked over to the geography teacher. I explained that I needed to use the restroom. Although he said a few words to me, he didn't stop me, and I was given a brief respite. This time, I didn't hesitate and went straight to the lecture hall door, pushed it open, and went inside. Unless Ye Yuqing had superpowers, she couldn't possibly be here right now. I opened the lecture hall door and pulled it all the way down. Closing the door would take a little time, which would give me some reaction time and the light needed to assess the situation.

After finishing what I did, I went to the window of the lecture hall. I took my phone out of my pocket and, using the faint light from the screen, searched for any clues that might lead me astray. I focused on checking the front and back windows; the front was closest to the wall that could be climbed, and the back was closer to the roof, making it easier to climb. Finding evidence didn't take me long; I found it immediately. I stuck my head out of the window and saw something that looked like a steel bar embedded in the wall. Using my phone's light, I discovered it was inserted into one of the roof's drainage pipes.

I tried to shake it with my hand, but to no avail. Trying to pull it out a little yielded the same result. It was somehow fixed in place. This was the top floor of the building, the least noticeable spot, and it was inserted into a drainage pipe; you really couldn't see it unless you looked very closely. The purpose of this steel bar was also very obvious. The roof of the building and this lecture hall were actually very close, next to the outer edge of the wall for easy climbing. There was also a steel bar here to use as a stepping stone, so getting up wouldn't be difficult at all.

But... Ye Yuqing, does she have that much courage? Does she have the courage to climb up and down the top floor of this 30-story building without being afraid at all?

I think I should make some timely changes to my evaluation of her.

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Resolve in My Heart

Although I already knew how Ye Yuqing got to the rooftop, I didn't plan to try it. I wasn't very confident in my skills, and I wouldn't attempt it without thorough preparation. I quietly left the lecture hall, looking left and right before leaving, but didn't see anyone.

I closed the lecture hall door, left, and went straight back into the classroom. I saw Ye Yuqing still in her seat, probably still playing on her phone, and I breathed a slight sigh of relief. Back in my own seat, I continued thinking about other things.

Although I haven't tried climbing, the possibility of reaching the roof from the newly discovered spot is very high; at least, climbing to the roof is no longer an impossible feat. However, the courage Ye Yuqing possesses now surprises me somewhat. She's willing to stab anyone who gets in her way to achieve her goal, and she's willing to climb the unprotected exterior of the building to reach the roof. While these aren't good things, they at least prove she has a clear sense of purpose, the ability to act, and the courage to carry out her actions. But this raises a bigger question—what kind of situation could drive someone with such purpose, courage, and ability to act to jump from the top of the school building?

I already have someone I suspect, the same person she said she had arranged to meet.

Ye Yuqing said this was a very important date, so important that it gave her the courage to kill. The significance of this date to her was self-evident. So why would she, who valued this date so much, choose to commit suicide on the night of the date? First, it wasn't suicide at all. At the time, no one knew how many people were on the roof, and no one could clearly see if the person wandering around on the roof was Ye Yuqing. It could have been someone else, impersonating her, who then pushed her off the roof. Second, it was indeed suicide. She may have experienced something that shattered her courage, and then chose to jump. What shatters courage is never overwhelming fear, but rather a suitable trigger. What caused her courage to collapse remains a mystery to me.

Whether it's someone else or she really committed suicide, I have to get to the rooftop. And, incidentally, I can also verify something—whether this cycle actually begins directly within 24 hours, and how the transitions at the very beginning and end of the cycle are completed. Once I get through this period, I'll be able to find out.

However, I have a huge problem with Ye Yuqing right now. We're not familiar with each other at all, so we don't even know where to start a conversation. Even if we did manage to chat, all I'd get are irrelevant and false information that would be completely useless. I need her to come to me and talk to me; at least if she initiates a conversation, the chances of me getting real information will be much higher. But what should I do? I have absolutely no experience with this.

For the first time in my life, I've been worried about something so trivial. Whether it's current novels, TV dramas, movies, games, celebrities… I know very little about anything a girl might be interested in. I'm not good at talking, I'm not good at communicating, and I don't have the charm to make anyone want to talk to me. Instead of thinking about these things, I'd rather spend that time sleeping.

I've discovered that the communication skills I've always considered useless have now become my biggest obstacle. How ironic.

Time was slowly passing, but I couldn't find a topic to start a conversation with. Ye Yuqing was playing on her phone, and the geography teacher, who had been pacing around several times, was now sitting in a chair behind the podium, no longer moving. It seemed there weren't many good opportunities left to strike up a conversation with her. Although it was a pity, my abilities weren't sufficient to continue trying to gather information through conversation under these circumstances, so I set my sights elsewhere.

I... made a decision. I want to get more information, so my only option is to follow Ye Yuqing. If I follow her, I can obtain detailed information about her residence and observe whether she has any contact with anyone. If I'm lucky enough, I might even be able to directly find the person she made the appointment with, or discover something that can bring me new clues. However... following someone isn't as simple as just saying or writing it down. I don't have the relevant skills, but it's nighttime, so the success rate is still not small. The biggest price I need to bear... is the psychological burden I'll have as a normal person.

In my understanding, stalking is something that should only be done in the shadows. I consider it a bad thing, and the person who stalks others is naturally a bad person. My experiences from childhood tell me that I am not wrong in thinking this way, because apart from the police who act in the name of justice, how many of the stalkers have good intentions? Even for the police, it's not a good thing for the target of the stalking...

I tried to convince myself that I was doing all this for her own good, but it didn't work. I knew very well that my actions were ultimately for my own benefit. It's impossible to have a clear conscience while stalking someone.

I thought of my peaceful daily life, then of the sudden cycle of reincarnation, of the repeated fears, of the image of Ye Yuqing falling to her death in front of me, and of the knife that pierced my heart...

I touched the spot where my heart was and made a decision. Whatever I do, I will not hesitate. Once I've made a decision, I will see it through to the end. I will resolutely not do anything I don't want to do, and when I decide to do something, I absolutely cannot hesitate.

I withdrew my gaze and attention, waiting for the school bell to ring. I looked once more at the boundless darkness and scattered lights outside the window. This profound darkness always brought me a sense of peace. I wasn't ready to accept eternal tranquility, but this darkness still felt welcoming. It still offered me protection as I moved about.

Now, the person sitting next to me—she once spoke with me, copied my homework, died in front of me, and stabbed me in the heart. Now, I will make her pay for dying in front of me, for stabbing me in the heart, for bringing death upon me. I will uncover every single thing that happened to her, and then…

I will return this contact information to her, the one that allowed her to copy my homework, and give her a future where we will never have anything to do with each other again.

Chapter Twenty-Three: The First Tracking

"I'll finish explaining this before get out of class ends." The geography teacher continued explaining the test paper from the podium, as if the bell didn't exist for him. Most people were used to this, and no one, thinking themselves exceptionally unique, dared to challenge the teacher's approach. Even if they did, it wouldn't succeed; it would only prolong the lecture time, a counterproductive outcome. Those seeking attention would also avoid this situation.

However, the fact that get out of class didn't end didn't stop us from packing up and getting ready to go home. The teacher probably noticed most of us doing this, but he didn't care about those who didn't want to go to class anymore.

I was the same as always, not much different. I don't have the habit of taking homework or textbooks home to finish, unless it's the kind of homework that I really can't finish in a whole day. My schoolbag is mostly just for show; I can leave everything on the table without it affecting me. But Ye Yuqing is clearly different from me. Although she was also secretly packing her schoolbag, she carefully put her textbooks and homework into it, if I remember correctly the homework assigned during the day. When the teacher quickly finished explaining the problem and announced the end of get out of class, several people at the back of the classroom immediately stood up, some with their schoolbags, others with nothing, ready to walk out.

The geography teacher saw this but only gave a soft hum, saying nothing more, and packed up his things to leave. Ye Yuqing was a little late for the first group, probably not wanting to be the first to stick their necks out and be remembered by the teacher—a clever move indeed. After Ye Yuqing left, I followed her, maintaining a distance that wasn't too close or too far, enough to see her and catch up quickly even if something went wrong, but not so fast that I'd be discovered. The darkness gave my untrained stealth tracking a slight advantage.

I followed her downstairs. I was a little surprised she didn't go into the lecture hall, but it wasn't anything out of line. She wasn't moving very fast; even someone like me who doesn't exercise much could easily keep up. I followed her all the way out of the school.

Like most students, she wasn't drawn to the various shops along the roadside, but rather headed clearly towards a specific destination. Most students leaving school at this time were probably in their final year of high school; first and second-year students finished school at 9:30 PM, half an hour earlier than us. After a day at school, whether studying or doing anything else, they were exhausted and needed rest; most didn't like lingering outside. While there were quite a few like me who didn't pay attention in class, many still chose to go home. In this city, tranquility remained the most prominent theme of the night.

I followed Ye Yuqing across the main road and the pedestrian bridge, arriving at a place relatively unfamiliar to me. This place wasn't far from my daily route to school, but since I rarely needed to come here, I only had a general impression of the area; the details were unclear. Nearby, on one street, there was a large plot of land slated for the construction of high-rise buildings. The excavation had been completed, but construction hadn't started for a long time. For some reason, all that remained was this large pit, completely empty, and it had been there for a long time. This pit was next to a road, connected to which was an uphill road, full of potholes, clearly unrepaired for many years.

On the side of the road closest to the river, there are shops selling snacks, breakfast, and fast food, and occasionally you can see tobacco and liquor stores and cold drink shops. This is probably because it's close to the main route for most high school students in the city, attracting many people to do business here. That only high school is arguably the busiest place in the city. On the other side is the large ditch and a side road that branches off into a longer main road. Viewed from the sky, this area looks like an inverted, downward-curving letter D, with the side road in the very center, branching off from the straight side. The ditch is on the right side of this branch, roughly occupying half of the right half of the letter D; the other half is a cluster of pre-existing buildings.

The large pit was surrounded by a wall made of various building materials, presumably to prevent pedestrians from climbing over it and falling in. This wall, made of building materials, was about two and a half meters high, making it somewhat difficult to see what was inside the pit. It seems that only the residents of the buildings next to the pit could see what was actually inside.

I looked away and continued watching Ye Yuqing. I was so lost in thought for a moment that I almost lost her. Luckily, I spotted her on a side road and quickly chased after her.

As I followed Ye Yuqing down the side road, I observed my surroundings. Apart from the large pit on the right that had been cordoned off, the left side looked like an internet cafe and a hotel, both with the same name, probably owned by the same person.

I was still wondering if Ye Yuqing was going to go in to use the internet cafe, but she immediately gave me a negative answer. She didn't even glance at the internet cafe with its LCD advertising board at the entrance and continued walking upstairs. Although internet cafes generally prohibit minors, most internet cafe owners don't care about that in order to make money. As long as you pay, you can play inside. And I believe that the high school students from the school on the other side of the bridge are the main customers of this internet cafe, rather than the more conventional adult customers. In this era where entertainment mainly relies on the internet, computers, and mobile phones, internet cafes are, in a sense, the main gathering places for these young people.

I walked past the door of the internet cafe and watched Ye Yuqing continue walking upstairs.

If you keep going up, you'll reach the hospital, which is the largest hospital in the town. Most of the buildings around it are hospital annexes, and only the ones closer to the outer edge are residential apartment buildings. But just by looking at the dirt on the walls, you can tell that although these apartment buildings are much "younger" than the senior high school building in my school, they're not much better.

I watched Ye Yuqing walk into one of the buildings.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Sleeping Parents

After Ye Yuqing entered one of the buildings, I looked at the sign left at the entrance—a round plaque with the number 3 written on it. Presumably, Ye Yuqing's home was in the third unit of that building.

I didn't follow her any further, not because I had a change of heart or anything, but because although the building looked old, the sudden surge in security awareness back then meant that most of the apartments had iron gates installed at the entrances. Without a key or someone inside to open the door, it was impossible to get in. Ye Yuqing opened the iron gate and went inside, and then it closed by itself. Being quite far away, I had no chance to stop it from closing. Even if I had, it wouldn't have mattered; I couldn't possibly follow her into her home. That would have been more like burglary than stalking her.

Although I couldn't physically see which floor or side her apartment was on, there was a rather luck-based method… I could see if the lights on a particular floor changed; that would likely indicate where Ye Yuqing lived. However, this method was highly random. If Ye Yuqing's parents were home and the lights were on, the scene I saw wouldn't change. And if other residents happened to change their lights, it would also lead to a misjudgment. The error rate was too high. But that wasn't my goal. I just wanted to know that Ye Yuqing lived here and arrived home safely without encountering anyone.

Perhaps it was a sign of good fortune, because after about another minute, I saw one apartment on the fifth floor suddenly become slightly brighter from complete darkness, while the other apartments remained unchanged. This must be the apartment, right? I wasn't sure, but I made a mental note of it. And then, a new question arose.

If that really is Ye Yuqing's house, then why is it pitch black? Do her parents go to bed early? Or are they not home? I need to find out this information myself; I don't want to speculate any further.

I didn't leave immediately. Instead, I waited in the darkness for a few more minutes to make sure Ye Yuqing showed no signs of emerging from the building before I left. And I didn't go back the way I came. I walked up the slope. Once I passed the hospital, I could return to the main road, and from there I could walk home. My house wasn't located within the area marked by the letter D, but rather on the extension of the line from D, not too far away.

I hurried home before it got completely dark. I should have been home by now, and if I didn't go back soon, something bad might happen—I had to wait until my parents and sister were asleep before I came out.

It took me some time to get back to my own house from Ye Yuqing's. My younger sister didn't take a shower today, and I didn't see her in the entryway or living room. However, judging from my bright bedroom, she's probably playing on her phone in my room right now. According to her, my room is closer to the router, so the Wi-Fi signal is better. She says that my parents watching TV in the living room disturbs her, so she often comes to my room to play on her phone. After a while, I didn't really mind. Anyway, it doesn't bother my sleep.

Perhaps hearing me open the door, my sister pressed herself against the door of my bedroom as I closed it and took off my shoes: "You're back? Why are you so late today?"

"The teacher went overtime, so we're a little late." I had already prepared an excuse, and it was very convincing, perfect for explaining my current situation.

"Hahaha, it's definitely tough in senior year of high school."

"You'll be a senior in high school in two years," I reminded her of my own experience as a high school student, but she didn't seem to care much.

"I'm only in high school, so I don't need to worry about that. But you, won't you get exhausted if you're in your final year of high school like this?"

"We'll talk about it later." I shook my head, not wanting to discuss this issue any further. Right now, let alone finishing senior year of high school, it's questionable whether I can even get through this day. It's too late to think about what comes after that once things are resolved.

"Ha, whatever. But keep your voice down, Mom and Dad are asleep." My sister reminded me, and I then saw my parents sitting on the sofa in the living room. My mother was lying across the sofa, and my other mother was sitting with her arms crossed; they both seemed to be asleep. However, the TV in the living room was still playing.

"Why didn't you tell them to go to bed?" I looked at her reproachfully.

“When I came back, they looked a little tired, but still quite energetic. I just found out they were asleep because they’d been playing on their phones the whole time.” She shrugged. “I’ll go tell them to go to bed, it’s getting late anyway.”

"You should go to bed earlier too; staying up late is bad for your health."

Although my younger sister is quite understanding, she doesn't seem to care much when it comes to matters concerning herself. Her behavior and words don't quite match, and she doesn't have any particularly convincing power.

She responded to me lightly, then went to wake her parents who were sleeping in the living room. I went back to my room and put down my schoolbag. I didn't plan to change into my pajamas, since I was going out in two or three hours and there was no need to sleep anymore.

I need to go to her house early tomorrow morning to keep watch and see if she saw anyone when she went to school in the morning. Her behavior at school is relatively easy to track. If I can figure out the time she spends after school in the evening and the time she spends getting to the classroom in the morning, the rest of the time will be much easier. I'm a little sleepy now, but not yet at the point where I'm drowsy. I've decided to stay awake until 1 or 2 a.m., which is probably when my sister goes to sleep. Then I can go out.

Incidentally, this also confirms something else—all my previous reincarnations occurred between when I fell asleep and when I woke up. What changes happened during that time is one of the things I need to know. If I can figure this out, I should be able to find clues about why I came to today from tomorrow, and maybe even find the answer directly.

I have some hope for this. Even if I don't place all my hopes on it.