During the two days he stayed at Yu An’s house, Shen Qi always felt an indescribable sense of tension.
It did not stem from doubts about his suspected differentiation, but rather from Cheng Yanzhou’s abnormal enthusiasm.
In the past, the two of them had almost no close contact aside from necessary conversations about work or daily life.
Yet for these past two days, Cheng Yanzhou’s phone calls would always arrive punctually at around eight o’clock in the evening, carrying a gentleness he had never heard before, even harboring a hint of concern.
“How was your day today?”
The voice on the other end of the line came through the earpiece, still low and magnetic, yet unusually wrapped in a softened texture. “You are coming back tomorrow, right? Do you want me to pick you up? The company happens to have a car going that way.”
Holding his phone, Shen Qi walked out onto the balcony, his fingertips unconsciously picking at the gaps in the railing, his voice as flat as possible: “No need, I can just go back by myself.”
Cheng Yanzhou paused, then added. “Mhm, travel safely.”
Shen Qi hung up the phone.
As he turned around, he bumped right into Yu An, who was leaning against the bedroom doorway holding a bowl of freshly washed strawberries.
“Is it him again?”
Yu An handed the strawberries over, his tone carrying a hint of probing. “He has been looking for you every single day these past two days. His attitude is so different from before. Did you not feel like he seemed afraid that you might run away?”
Shen Qi picked up a strawberry and popped it into his mouth. The sweet and sour taste failed to suppress the stuffiness in the bottom of his heart.
He thought once more of the scene where Cheng Yanzhou accompanied Shi Nian to the obstetrics and gynecology clinic; at that time, the gentleness in the other person’s eyes was something he had never received.
Originally, his heart had indeed softened a bit, but thinking of this, he hardened his heart once more.
“Afraid I will run?” Shen Qi pulled at the corners of his mouth, letting out a self-deprecating laugh. “He is just afraid that his possession will disappear.”
From beginning to end, Shen Qi only attributed Cheng Yanzhou’s abnormal actions toward him to an unreasonable desire for control.
After all, who would shackle someone they do not love by their side?
Watching his expression, Yu An remained silent for a few seconds before finally asking. “Then do you regret it? If you want to cancel the plan now and go back to talk things through with him properly, it is still not entirely out of the question.”
“I do not regret it.” Shen Qi’s voice suddenly turned heavy, his gaze resolute. “An’an, I really do not want to drag this out anymore.”
Seeing his firm attitude, Yu An did not try to persuade him further, simply pushing the documents on the table forward. “Fine, then let us be decisive, and let us review the details of the fake death once more.”
The winding mountain road car accident plan written on the document was extremely detailed.
Three days later, Shen Qi would set out to return to Haishi, driving the old car under his name that he had prepared in advance.
When driving to the middle section of the winding mountain road, the car would lose control and plunge over the guardrail, subsequently triggering an explosion and fire.
As for him, he would get out of the car in advance at a place where the guardrail was loose, be picked up by the people arranged by Yu An, and change into a new identity to leave.
“The brakes of the car will be tampered with beforehand so that it looks like a malfunction caused by age and wear, and the explosion will use a delay device, so it will not hurt you.”
Pointing at the notes on the plan, Yu An said. “When the time comes, you will follow the person who picks you up along the small path. There will be a car waiting for you at the foot of the mountain to go straight to the airport in neighboring Province X, and your plane ticket has already been booked.”
Shen Qi finished reading word by word, his fingertips pausing for a moment on the words explosion and fire. “No problem, let us go with this.”
He had already decided to use this accident to completely disappear from Cheng Yanzhou’s world.
As for that inexplicable premonition of differentiation and Cheng Yanzhou’s abnormal attitude, let them all stay in the past along with this death.
Early in the morning three days later, the sky still wore a layer of grayish-blue.
They had arrived at the neighboring city last night, and set off early in the morning, proceeding entirely according to plan.
Shen Qi sat in the driver’s seat, his fingertips repeatedly rubbing against the steering wheel. The rearview mirror reflected Yu An’s figure standing by the roadside, the two of them staring at each other silently across the car window, the air filled with a tense silence.
“Stick to the plan. Once you reach the foot of the mountain, send me your location. I will keep an eye on the surveillance cameras, and once you enter the tunnel, switch cars.” Yu An’s voice came through the car window, carrying a trace of imperceptible trembling. “Be careful, and do not make any mistakes.”
Shen Qi nodded, stuffing the ID card printed with his name and a small amount of cash into the inner pocket of his jacket.
These would be the final traces left behind in the world by Shen Qi.
He took a deep breath and started the engine.
The roar of the engine broke the morning silence, and the taillights gradually disappeared into the fog.
This was a route he and Yu An had scouted beforehand: where the sharp turns were, where the surveillance blind spots were, where the morning fog was densest, and which section of the guardrail was easiest to break through had all been firmly memorized in his heart.
When the car drove to the middle of the mountain, Shen Qi turned on the pre-modified location sharing as planned. Yu An’s avatar on the screen remained lit up, like a reassuring anchor.
Yu An’s voice message came through, carrying the static of an electric current.
“You are almost at the tunnel, get ready to switch cars.”
The entrance of the tunnel had surveillance, but this area was very remote, plus the surveillance had been deliberately broken and temporarily not repaired, with nobody around. Now was undoubtedly the best timing.
Shen Qi gripped the steering wheel tightly, whipped the wheel sharply at the last sharp turn before entering the tunnel, and simultaneously stepped on the accelerator.
The tires scraped against the ground, producing a piercing sound. The moment the car broke through the guardrail, he quickly slammed on the brakes, parking the car steadily at the broken edge of the guardrail; one more meter forward and the vehicle would have plummeted.
A reliable young man found by Yu An was already waiting inside the tunnel. Having likely received the news at roughly the same time, he ran over and handed him a clean, new jacket.
“Quick, push the car down while nobody is around yet.”
Shen Qi took the jacket, put it on, and resolutely joined the young man in pushing the car down.
Hearing the huge sound of the vehicle colliding against the mountain body, his heart felt as if it were being grabbed by something.
Gritting his teeth, they turned and walked deep into the tunnel according to plan.
A few seconds later, a violent explosion sounded from behind, the flames dyeing half the sky crimson, and thick smoke drifted into the tunnel along with the wind, carrying a pungent burnt odor.
“The explosion was successful. The surveillance at the foot of the mountain must have captured the flash, you guys need to hurry up and take the back mountain path.”
Yu An’s voice carried a faint pant, obviously feeling nervous as well.
The path on the back mountain was rugged and difficult to walk. After trekking for more than half an hour, the highway at the foot of the mountain finally came into view.
Looking from afar, the lights of fire trucks and police engines had already lit up, the alternating red and blue lights looking exceptionally glaring in the mountain fog.
Shen Qi did not dare to linger, locating the ride-hailing car he had booked in advance.
As the car drove away from the winding mountain road, he glanced back.
That patch of fire was still there, like the candlelight at a funeral for the name Shen Qi.
He pulled out a new mobile phone, as his original phone and SIM card had been left behind in that car.
“Yu An, it was a success.”
At seven in the morning, Cheng Yanzhou sat in his office, his fingertips pressing the dial button for the fourth time.
The mechanical female voice still echoed in the earpiece.
“The user you have dialed is temporarily unavailable.” A tight sensation suddenly seized his heart, breeding a bad premonition.
He stared at the location of Shen Qi’s phone on the screen; it had remained parked in the middle section of a mandatory winding mountain road for over two hours.
This was very ominous.
During their phone call last night, Shen Qi had said he would set out early in the morning and arrive by noon, but now even his messages had sunk into the sea without a trace.
His assistant knocked on the door and entered, handing over a newly printed itinerary, but was waved away with a sweep of his hand.
“Cancel all meetings for today. Prepare the car, I am going to pick someone up.”
Just as the words fell, his phone suddenly popped up a local news push notification, the headline pricking his eyes with pain.
Sudden Car Accident on Winding Mountain Road, Vehicle Plummets Off Cliff and Explodes into Flames
In the accompanying photo, thick smoke wrapped around orange-red flames licking at the mountain body.
And the outline of that burnt-out car was completely identical to the old car Shen Qi had said he would borrow temporarily when he saw it last week!